


Welcome to the show!

by farfrombeingnothing



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Isabel and Eren are Related, Levi writes, Levi's going to be in a band at some point, Like really slow, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Siblings, Slow Burn, a lot is going to happen, nothing bad though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-12 12:32:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7103503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farfrombeingnothing/pseuds/farfrombeingnothing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi's life is not easy, waiting for an acceptance letter for the top school specialized in writing can be hard. But it can also be hard to have a crush since said crush is not just his sister's best friend but also his best friend's older brother, that is six years older.<br/>But everything will get better with some music, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this an attempt at a multi-chapter work and I really hope that I can pull this off since I have so many ideas for this!  
> Please enjoy!!

The first day of summer vacation was a hot day. There was no wind blowing and no clouds marked the blue sky.  
  
Levi didn’t like hot days, they made him feel sweaty and gross. He had gotten rid of his excessive clothing and were at the moment only in his swim trunks. The only thing that he could do was laying in the hammock on the porch and try, without success, to cool himself while he was writing in a notebook.  
He put down the notebook when he realized that he wouldn’t be happy with anything he tried to write at the moment and turned in the hammock so that he was laying on his stomach. He was facing the kitchen window in this position and could see his mother, Kuchel, starting making dinner. By the looks of it, they were going to have a salad of some sort. As his mother were laying out the different ingredients, he started to get up from the hammock. When he was in a sitting position, he stretched by raising his hands above his head and bent down to pick up his notebook. He started to walk towards the door to get inside and help his mother.  
  
“Hello, sweetie” she said when she heard him walk through the door.  
“Hi mom” he answered, “can I help?”  
She made a confirming noise and pointed at some tomatoes that were laying on the kitchen bench. “You can start by washing them and then cut them into slices.”  
He nodded and put his notebook on the table. He walked over to the tomatoes and put the water on so that he could wash them. Once he was done he took a knife and a cutting board and started to slice the tomatoes as his mother had told him.  
  
“I think I’m going to Farlan tonight, so don’t wait up for me” he said. His mother made a confirming noise.  
“Mikasa is going to come home tomorrow so don’t be too late” she said with a small smile. “I’ll try” was his response.  
  
Mikasa was Levi’s older sister by six years. She was studying to become a teacher in a city some hours away. She lived in an apartment with her two childhood friends, Armin and Eren. Armin were studying to become a game developer at the same university as Mikasa while Eren were studying to become a personal trainer. Eren’s little sister, Isabel, were one of Levi’s closest friends.  
Levi had a ‘small’ crush on Eren, but he hadn’t told anyone that, since he didn’t want to gamble his friendship with Isabel, she was far more important than his feelings towards her older brother. He also knew that Eren wasn’t interested in 16 year old boys. So Levi pined after him from afar and hoped that Eren would never get to know his feelings, it was only a _crush_ and nothing major, which was what Levi told himself.  
  
After they had eaten, what turned out to be a pasta salad, Levi said his good bye and good night to his mother, since evenings at Farlan’s place tended to result in him coming home after his mother had gone to bed. On his way to Farlan he went by Isabel’s house to pick her up.  
Isabel and Levi had been friends since forever, or more exactly since they were four.  
Isabel’s mother, Carla, had taken care of Levi when his mother were at work and Mikasa at school. They used to play together every day and even now, twelve years later, they still hang out just as often. The only thing that had changed was when they had met Farlan in pre-school and they became the trio that they were today.  
  
When he arrived at Izzy’s house he went up to the door and knocked. He didn’t need to wait long before the door opened and revealed a mane of red hair, bright green eyes and a big smile.  
“LEVI!” Isabel shouted. “I’m just going to put on my shoes and then I’m ready to go!”  
“You don’t need to shout” he said with a small smile. “Aren’t you going to do something about your hair?” he asked and gestured towards her hair that were frankly speaking everywhere.  
“I will, I just finished blow drying it so I didn’t have time to do it. I’ll do it when we are at Farlan’s place.”  
She put on her red converse and tied them quickly.  
“BYE! DON’T WAIT UP!” she yelled into the house and got a ‘bye’ in response. “So, I’m ready! Let’s go!” she took Levi’s hand and started to walk outside.  
  
They started walking down the street towards Farlan’s house. On the way they, or mostly Izzy, talked about their day and how good it felt to be free from school. The walk was relatively short and they soon stood outside a small but cozy house. They rang the doorbell and waited for some time before the door opened.  
  
“Levi! Isabel!” a small woman with ash blonde hair said with a smile when she opened the door. Levi and Izzy smiled back. They usually hung around at Farlan’s place because he had the most games and the biggest room out of the three of them. By usually they meant almost every day, except if they had a big project in school going on or if Mikasa and/or Eren was home to visit.  
  
“Come in, come in, Farlan is probably in his room with his headphones on.”  
“Thank you, Mrs. Church” they both said as they went through the door and into the house. They removed their shoes and started to walk towards Farlan’s room. When they stood outside the door, they could hear profanities and curses being shouted, a sign that Farlan was playing and wouldn’t hear if they knocked on the door. Izzy looked at Levi, who nodded when he recognized the look in her eyes. She slowly opened the door and began to creep into the room with Levi following her lead. They stopped to close the door without making any sound and began to creep up on Farlan from behind. Izzy and Levi looked at each other and Izzy started to count down to three on her fingers. When the last finger went down, they both jumped up behind Farlan’s computer chair and screamed. Farlan, who was not prepared, jumped high in his chair and let out a high pitched scream. He quickly turned around and was met with Izzy and Levi laughing.  
  
“Don’t do that!” Farlan said when he had calmed down a bit.  
Levi and Izzy continued to laugh and soon the both of them were laying on the floor.  
“Yo… you… you should have… seen… your face!” Izzy got out between her laughter, “totally priceless”  
“Ha, ha, very funny” Farlan said and tried to look angry, but failed miserably when he saw Izzy and Levi on the floor. “So, what do you nerds want to do?” he asked when they had calmed down a bit.  
“Play some games?” Levi asked, “What else are we supposed to do?”  
“I don’t know, we could go to the woods. It’s still pretty early and the sun won’t be setting any time soon.” Farlan suggested.  
“That sounds fun! We haven’t been at our spot for some time now.” Izzy said with a smile. “What do you say Levi?”  
“Sure, why not? But weren’t you going to put up your hair?”  
“Oh! I forgot!” she said as she quickly divided her hair into two parts and made two ponytails. “Alright, I’m ready for an adventure!”  
  
They made their way back to the hallway to put on their shoes and Farlan shouted a ‘bye’ to his mother before they went out.  
The way to the woods was a short one and the three of them talked as if they hadn’t met for three years, even though they met yesterday at the graduation ceremony at their school. When they had entered the woods the three of them fell into a comfortable silence and just enjoyed each other’s company. It didn’t take long for them to follow the small trail to their spot, since all three of them were used to walk it.  
  
Their ‘spot’ in the woods were actually just a rock on a hill in a small clearing. They had spent countless of hours playing and talking there. It was here that Farlan had told Levi and Isabel that his parents were getting a divorce and that he thought that it was all because of him. It was here Isabel told Levi and Farlan, her face red, when she had got her first period and how terrified she was to become a woman. It was here that Levi had told Farlan and Isabel that he was attracted to the same gender. Needless to say, their spot had some of their most important memories together.  
  
When they had all gathered on top of the rock to sit down, Isabel in the middle with Farlan on her right and Levi on her left side, they started to talk.  
“Sooooo, Levi?” Isabel asked and looked at him expectantly. “Have you got an answer yet?”  
“No, and I won’t get one for a couple weeks.” He answered, “I don’t think I’m going to be accepted anyway.”  
  
Levi had applied to a school that specialized on writing, the best in the country, to study at after the summer break was over. The thing was that it was hard to get accepted into the school and that it was placed in a city almost six hours away by train.  
  
“Of course you will be accepted! Your writing is amazing!” Isabel said with a wide smile. “Your stories are so unique and special that they have to accept you! It would be a waste otherwise!”  
Levi blushed a little and looked away, he was not used to being praised about something that he loved to do.  
  
“I have to agree with Isabel on this” Farlan said, amused with how Levi tried to hide himself, “you really have a talent for writing and I don’t think Isabel and I are the only ones who can see that.”  
“You do know that if I get accepted, I need to move, right?” Levi asked in a small voice.  
“Well, yes. But this is something that you want to do, so you should go for it. Didn’t your mother and sister say the same thing?” Farlan asked.  
  
Levi was silent a moment before he nodded. When he had asked his mother if she was okay with him applying to the school, she had told him that as long as he did something that he loved and was happy she wouldn’t mind. Mikasa had told him the same thing.  
Mikasa and his mother both knew that he wouldn’t make a choice that he would regret, and Levi going to that school was something that he wouldn’t. They both knew it.  
  
After a couple of hours, after it had gotten dark, they decided that they were going to split up and go home. Mikasa were coming home and were staying for the most part of the summer and since this meant that Eren was also staying a longer period of time, both Levi and Isabel had to get home to get some sleep.  
  
Later that night, when Levi were laying in his bed, he was thinking about Eren. It had been almost half a year since the last time they had met and he hoped that maybe, just maybe, that Eren would notice him as something more than his little sister’s best friend or as his own best friend’s little brother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the second chapter!  
> I hope you like this too!!
> 
> Hugs to you all!

Levi woke up slowly the next day. While he still laid in his bed and half-dreamed he heard a door open and close downstairs and he started to get a bad feeling. It was something that was happening today, but he couldn’t remember what it was. When he heard someone walk up the stairs it finally hit him and he quickly sat up in his bed and just as he was on his way to the clothes laying close to him, the door to his room was opened with a bang. Levi fell down from his bed with one of his legs in his pants. He heard a small laughter and looked up to see his sister leaning on his door.  
  
“Very graceful” Mikasa said and looked at him with a fond look. “This is the greeting I get from my little brother when I get home?”  
  
Levi still laid on the floor with half his clothes on.  
  
“Well, if you had waited I would have gotten down and greeted you with my clothes on” he pointed out.  
  
“But what is the fun in that?” she said as she walked towards him. When she was standing close to him, she reached out her hand and helped him up. When he was standing up again, she put her arms around him and hugged him. Levi hugged her back, it had been some time since they last saw each other. After a while they let each other go and Mikasa looked him up and down.  
  
“Have you grown a little since we last saw each other?” she asked.  
  
“I don’t think so” Levi muttered, “I think I’m going to get stuck at this height forever”  
  
Mikasa let out a small laugh at that but when she noticed what he tried to dress himself with, she let out a small noise of disapproval and scrunched her nose. The tank top he was trying to put on had small, pink kittens on a dark green background and the shorts were light yellow with red dots on.  
  
“Are you really going to wear that?” she asked. Levi looked down on himself and couldn’t see anything wrong with the tank top or the shorts he was trying to put on.  
  
“What is wrong with this? It’s comfortable” he answered protectively.  
  
“Well, for starters, your tank top and your shorts have two very different patterns that do not match and the colors...” she sighed, “it just hurts to look at you”:  
  
Levi seriously didn’t see the problem, the clothes were clean and comfortable and that was all that mattered to him. Apparently it was not everything that mattered to Mikasa as she walked over to his wardrobe and looked through his clothes.  
  
“Do you have something that does not have any pattern on it?” she asked.  
  
“I don’t know”.  
  
Mikasa clicked her tongue and started to dig deeper. “Where do you even buy these? Who allows you to?” she muttered to herself, “I swear that it wasn’t this bad when I lived at home”:  
  
“I buy them at the normal shops, Izzy and Farlan is usually with me and they haven’t said anything!” Levi explained with a small pout. “Do I really have to change?”  
  
Mikasa turned around so that she faced him, she looked down on him with a look that he couldn’t read. She sighed and turned back to his clothes. After some time she gave out a triumphant noise and threw a pair of jeans shorts without any pattern.  
  
“Put those on, it will make it a bit better to look at you then” she said with a smile and walked out of his room.  
  
Levi grumbled, but did as she said. When he was done, he made his way downstairs and walked into the kitchen. His mother was sitting at the table with the breakfast ready. Mikasa was preparing coffee for the two of them. After saying good morning to his mother, Levi went to a cupboard where they had their tea, and made himself a cup. Their breakfast was a comfortable affair, Mikasa told them about her courses and some stories about her friends’ antics. Levi and Kuchel listened and all of them laughed together, Levi had missed this. Sure, his sister could be a bit overbearing sometimes, but overall she was really fun to be around.  
  
“So Levi, when are you going to get an answer that you’ve been accepted?” Mikasa said with a light tone.  
  
“I don’t know, hopefully next week or the week after that, and I don’t think I’m going to get accepted” Levi said in a smaller voice.  
  
“Of course you are going to be accepted sweetheart” his mother said with an assuring smile. “Why wouldn’t you?”  
  
“Because I’m not good enough, there are many talented people that are going to that school and I don’t think that I am one of them!” Levi said a little louder than he wanted and looked down towards the table.  
  
“Levi, look at me” Mikasa said softly, Levi raised his head and looked into Mikasa’s eyes. “Please don’t talk down on yourself like that. You are very talented, have you ever gotten something else than the highest score on your essays in creative writing?”  
  
When Levi shook his head Mikasa continued. “You really love to write and that shows in your writing. Believe in yourself a bit more”. She smiled again and then she stood up and began to put away their breakfast. Levi sat still for a while, thinking over what his sister had told him. Even though he could understood what she said, he still thought that he wasn’t good enough to get in. It was after all one of the top schools in the country, specialized in writing and music.  
  
“Mom, are you working today?” Mikasa asked their mother.  
  
“Yes, I work the nightshift today” Kuchel answered and smiled tiredly.  
  
“Then go to bed until you need to get up!” Mikasa said with a stern voice. “I and Levi can go over to the Jeager’s for today”.  
  
“I’m fine sweetheart, you have just gotten home so I want us to spend some time together”.  
  
“I’m going to be here all summer, so there is no rush” Mikasa said, “what is important is your health, you need to take care of yourself!”  
  
“But…” Kuchel started.  
  
“Mom, you have the day off tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, so we can spend some time together then” Levi said before their mother could say something else.  
  
“Fine!” Kuchel said with a little smile, “I’m starting to wonder who it is that is taking care of who, you both have become so reliable”. She walked over to Levi and ruffled his hair.  
  
“Mom, go to bed!” Levi said embarrassed as he tried to escape.  
  
“Then I’ll go to bed now, please say hello to the Jeager’s for me?” Kuchel said as she made her way towards her bedroom.  
  
“Of course” Mikasa answered and smiled as she put the dishes into the dishwasher.  
  
Some time later Mikasa and Levi were ready to go and made their way towards Izzy’s and Eren’s house.  
  
Levi were nervous to meet Eren again, they hadn’t met since Christmas when Mikasa, Eren and Armin came home. Levi didn’t know how to behave when Eren were close, it often resulted in him making a weird sound and walking away or just staring at Eren. But, that was almost half a year ago, Levi had matured during this period and would hopefully not behave like that this time around. He would be cool, fun and he would say smart things, he just didn’t know which things were smart to say. Maybe talk about the weather? That is something grown-ups do, right?  
  
“Levi?” Mikasa asked. “Are you with me?”  
  
“Huh? Oh, yeah, what?” Levi said, disrupted by his thoughts.  
  
“I asked you a question” Mikasa said and raised an eyebrow.  
  
“You did?” was Levi’s confused answer.  
  
“Yes, I asked how your love life is going.” Mikasa said and started to laugh when Levi started to blush.  
  
“My l love life? I don’t have a love life” Levi got out.  
  
“Really? You don’t have a girlfriend?” Mikasa pressed while smiling.  
  
“No!” Levi almost shouted, really embarrassed. “Why are you asking me this?” he whined.  
  
“That’s too bad” Mikasa said while she pushed him softly. “I am just fulfilling my role as a big sister”.  
  
“Your role does not involve to be interested in my love life!” Levi said, still very red in the face.  
  
“It does!” Mikasa said and laughed.  
  
Instead of answering he sped up to get to the Jeager’s faster.  
  
“Oh my god, you’re hiding something! Who is she? Levi, come on tell me!” Mikasa said loudly and ran after him so that she was beside him.  
  
“I don’t have a girlfriend!” Levi said. Then a realization hit him, Mikasa didn’t know that he liked boys. What if she figured it out? What if she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore? That is something he couldn’t handle.  
  
“Levi? What’s wrong?” Mikasa said worriedly. It was only then that Levi noticed that he had stopped walking. He looked up from the asphalt and caught Mikasa’s eye.  
  
“Levi?” she said once more.  
  
All the thoughts in Levi’s head blurred together and the only thing he could think was that Mikasa didn’t know. She didn’t know that he liked boys. He had never told his family of his preferences. But he wanted her to know, she had always accepted him for who he was. Well, it was now or never, he thought.  
  
“Mikasa” he said, “I… I don’t…”  
  
“Levi?” Mikasa had a look of panic on her face. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“I don’t like girls.” Levi finally said and looked down, not bearing to look her in the eyes.  
  
“Oh” he heard her say, but still didn’t dare to look up.  
  
“So, do you have a boyfriend then?”  
  
At that his head flew up.  
  
“Wha… No! Aren’t you…? I’m…” Levi couldn’t form any sentences, as he didn’t know what to make of the situation. This was not the reaction he had expected.  
  
“Levi, I don’t care what gender you prefer, you are still my little brother and I love you for being you” Mikasa said. “I’m sorry for pestering you about your love life, it’s just a little fun to see you embarrassed”.  
  
Levi still didn’t have any words so he opted to close the distance between them and hug her.  
  
“This is unusual of you” she said while hugging him back.  
  
“Shut up”.  
  
Mikasa only laughed.  
  
\--- --- ---  
  
When the pair finally arrived at the Jeager’s they saw that both Armin and Farlan was already there. They let themselves in and went into the kitchen where the whole group were sitting at the table drinking ice tea.  
  
When Levi saw Eren, his heart jumped. He was even more beautiful than he remembered and all his plans of being a mature person were forgotten.  
  
“LEVI” Izzy shouted as soon as she noticed him. “You are finally here! What took you guys so long?”  
  
“We had some catching up to do” Mikasa said as she smiled a small smile towards Levi.  
  
“Levi, nice to see you again” Armin said as he came up to him and gave him a small hug.  
  
“Nice to see you to” Levi said and hugged back awkwardly.  
  
Levi liked Armin. Armin was calm and fun to be around. He was like a big brother to Levi and someone that Levi could confine in.  
  
It wasn’t long before the hug between Levi and Armin was over that Eren made his way over.  
  
“Don’t I get a hug to?” Eren said with a smile and opened his arms.  
  
Levi looked at him, until he caved and stepped forward into Eren’s embrace. He let go quickly but he still caught a whiff of Eren’s fragrance. It smelt fresh like laundry detergent and Levi loved it.  
  
“Nice shirt” Eren said after he had let go off Levi. “I like the kittens”.  
  
Levi blushed and regretted that he didn’t really pay attention to what he put on and at the same time he was grateful that Mikasa had forced him to change his pants, even though he still did not understand what was wrong with them.  
  
Levi went over to Izzy and Farlan to say hello and talk to them, leaving Eren and his beautiful face alone.  
  
Mikasa, Eren and Armin went upstairs to Eren’s room to talk to each other. As Levi understood it, they didn’t really have time to meet at their university with all their different schedules. Levi, Isabel and Farlan decided to go out to the pool in the backyard of the house and play around in the water. Levi and Farlan had a pair swimming trunks each in Isabel’s closet.  
  
“Are you guys going to the fireworks festival next weekend?” Farlan asked as he sat on the corner of the pool.  
  
“Yes!” Isabel said excited. “We have to go!”  
  
Both Farlan and Isabel turned their heads towards Levi.  
  
“It’s fine for me to, I don’t have anything else planned” he said and smiled when Isabel raised her hands and shouted ‘YES’. Levi the started to splash water on his two best friends, which developed into a water fight and a lot of laughter.  
  
After a while of playing Mikasa, Eren and Armin joined them and Levi had to really make an effort to not stare at Eren’s golden body that was shining in the sun. The reflections of the water did not help much either, making Eren’s muscles more defined.  
  
Levi was doomed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite proud of myself to have written three chapters in three weeks :D  
> Hopefully it will continue that way!  
> Hope you like it!
> 
> Hugs to the ones who wants them!

The days after the improvised pool party at Isabel’s house was spent leisurely together with his mother and sister. They talked a lot, about Levi’s school and about Mikasa’s time at the University. They cooked dinner together and ate together. Basically they were just catching up with each other and Levi realized that he really had missed his sister. She was one of the few persons that he actually could talk to without feeling a need to prove himself. The other persons were of course Isabel and Farlan, and to some point Armin. Armin and Mikasa gave an input from a totally different perspective than Isabel and Farlan did, and Levi appreciated that.  
  
The fireworks festival came closer and closer and Levi started to look forward to it. It would be fun to go around with Isabel and Farlan, and hopefully they would run into Eren. This time he would talk to him. Actually talk to him. Say words. Not blushing and hiding behind Isabel and Farlan like he did last time. Last time had been a failure and Levi was determined that this time wouldn’t become one.  
  
The festival was an annual thing that was popular amongst all ages, it was positioned at the outskirts of the small community that they lived in. Before the fireworks started, people went to the different stands to compete at random games or to buy food. It was a joyous occasion and Levi and his friends had always gone to it.  
  
He, Izzy and Farlan had planned to meet at Levi’s house, since it was the closest one to the festival, and walk to it. This time, Mikasa had forced him to wear some jeans shorts together with a white T-shirt. The clothes were comfortable enough, the jeans chafed a bit, but it was tolerable.  
  
He was listening to Sia’s album while sitting in the hammock when Isabel and Farlan arrived. They had walked around the house to the backyard, as they usually did.  
  
“Are you ready to go to the festival?” Izzy said with an enthusiastic smile as she and Farlan approached Levi.  
  
“As ready as I can be” he answered.  
  
“Then shut off the music and let’s go!”  
  
Levi and Farlan looked at each other, amused by Isabel’s excitement. Levi did as he was told. He shut and locked up the house since his mother worked and Mikasa had already left to meet up with Armin and Eren.  
  
The way to the festival was a loud one. As usual they talked and joked about everything, as they hadn’t met in years. When they finally arrived to their destination it was already swamped with people. It was mostly families with children at this time, but some people in their own age was also there. The trio started walking through the area to decide which games they wanted to play and what they wanted to eat. During their second lap through the area they saw some of their classmates and stopped to talk a bit with them. During this meeting, Levi left to go to the toilet, but when he came back to the place he had left them, they were not there. He took out his phone and saw that Farlan had texted him.  
  
**Farlan, 20:57:**  
We went to the cotton candy stand. Izzy wanted some.  
  
Levi pocketed his phone after sending that he was on his way. On the way towards the cotton candy he gets a glimpse of Eren and Levi decide to go over and say hello. Hopefully this time, Levi would be able to say something more. But, as he gets closer to Eren’s position, Levi sees that he is not alone. He is together with a girl. A girl that Levi vaguely remembers as someone that were in the same class as Mikasa, Armin and Eren when they went to high school. Eren is smiling towards the girl, a smile that Levi has never seen before and Levi stops in the middle of the street. That smile, that smile is meant for flirting, a smile that will make the recipient want more, and Levi sees that it does. Levi also notice the touches between the two, touches that is a bit to intimate for such a public space. Levi can’t look away. He sees everything. He sees when Eren whisper something in the ear of the girl, he sees the girl blushing and he sees her nodding. He start to move when Eren and the girl have walked away, only then realizing that he is in the way for other people. His thoughts are all over the place, as he cannot make any sense of what he saw. He saw a side to Eren that he never knew that Eren would have, and he did not know how to process the information. He didn’t notice that he had walked away from the festival area until he came to a park, and he sat down at a bench.  
  
“..vi, hello, Levi!”  
  
Levi’s head snapped up and he was met with the concerned blue gaze of Armin.  
  
“Armin” he said.  
  
“Are you okay?” Armin said as he sat down beside him.  
  
“I…” Levi couldn’t answer. Was he okay? He didn’t know. The picture that he had of Eren had scattered in an instant and Levi did not know how to handle it.  
  
Armin was the first to break the silence that had occurred between them.  
  
“Have it something to do with Eren?”  
  
Levi jerked and whipped his head towards Armin.  
  
“H-how did you know?” Levi said in a shocked voice.  
  
“I have seen how you look at him, you know?” Armin said and smiled a little, “But it was a guess, I did not know if I was right or not.”  
  
“Oh” Levi said and looked down again. Maybe Armin could help him sort through the confusing thoughts he had?  
  
“I… I saw him with a girl today” he started in a small voice and looked up. Armin showed that he was listening and Levi continued. “I have never seen him like that and… I don’t know… he was not the Eren that I know. He was someone else, someone I haven’t met before and… and I don’t know, but I got confused. Confused about my feelings, my feelings towards him. Were they real? Are they real? I just don’t know. He wasn’t someone that I know.” Levi was looking everywhere, but not at Armin, afraid of what he would say.  
  
“First of all, Levi, I have to tell that Eren is a bit of a… he is, kind of a playboy? He have been like that since our first year at university and I and Mikasa have tried to talk with him about it, but doesn’t listen to us. He says that he doesn’t do relationships and won’t tell us why.” Armin said a little annoyed.  
  
“But as long as his partners is aware of it and doesn’t get hurt, we can’t really stop him” Armin continued. “Second, your feelings were real, Levi. Do not undermine them. Sure, they may not have been for the person that Eren really is, but for the Eren that existed in your mind and there is nothing wrong with those feelings.”  
  
Levi looked at Armin and tried to understand what he just had said.  
  
“But, he is my sister’s best friend and _my_ best friend’s big brother. I can’t have feelings for him, even if they are for the Eren in my mind.” Levi said as he felt that he was on the verge of crying.  
  
“Of course you can have feelings for him, but I understand how you feel.” Armin said as he held eye contact with Levi. “I also need you to understand that we can’t really choose who we fall in love with. But what we can do is to decide how to act on these feelings, whether we will tell the person of our affections or to stay quiet of them so that we can continue to stay by their side. And if nothing happens it was not just meant to be or that no one tried.” At this Armin looked away.  
  
They sat quiet for a while. Both thinking of what could have happened in the past and what can happen in the future.  
  
“So” Armin said with a smile and broke therefore the silence. “What are your plans for the autumn?”  
  
“Uh… I have applied to a writing school” Levi answered, “I don’t think I will come in though, there is many persons that are better than me that apply to that school.”  
  
“Which school?”  
  
“Pixis Academy, they specialize in writing, music and drawing.”  
  
“That is far away from here, but I’m sure that you will make it, Mikasa is really boasting about you.” Armin said and smiled widely.  
  
“I’m not really sure about that” Levi said in a small voice.  
  
“Levi,…” Armin was cut off before he could say what he wanted by a loud voice.  
  
“ARMIN”  
  
Both Armin and Levi turned around and saw Mikasa and Eren making their way towards them. Levi froze where he sat, he couldn’t really do anything, everything that happened earlier still fresh in his mind. He felt a hand on his arm and looked up to see Armin and he understood that Armin had his back.  
  
“What are the two of you doing here?” Eren said, wearing a wide smile, when he and Mikasa came close enough.  
  
“We were talking.” Armin answered.  
  
“Talking? About what?” Eren asked curiously.  
  
“About school.”  
  
“Oh, nice”  
  
“Where are Isabel and Farlan?” Mikasa asked Levi.  
  
“Uh, I lost them, so I went here and started to talk to Armin.” Levi said. “I should probably go and find them and go home.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s starting to get pretty late too.” Mikasa said. “I’m going to head home soon too.”  
  
“Well, I’ll see you guys later then” Levi said and looked at everyone except Eren.  
  
“Bye, bye” Armin said in a light tone as Mikasa waved.  
  
When Levi walked away from the older trio, he took up his phone and got surprised at how late it had become, he also saw that he had several texts from both Farlan and Isabel asking where he was. He sent a text to Isabel and got an immediate answer. They decided where to meet up and Levi made his way over to their meeting point.  
  
“LEEEEVIIII!” Izzy shouted when she saw him. “Where have you been? You missed the fireworks!”  
  
Farlan and Isabel made their way over to him and he noticed that they both looked a bit red in their faces.  
  
“I got a bit sidetracked” he said. “I met Armin and we started to talk, I forgot about the time, I’m sorry”  
  
“Oh, don’t worry about it, but you missed the fireworks!” Farlan said with a small smile.  
“I know, were they any good?” he asked.  
  
“They were awesome! The colors, the smoke, the sound, it was beautiful!” Isabel said in a loud voice as they made their way home.  
  
“Yeah, they were really beautiful” Farlan agreed and suddenly Isabel became very red and refused to look at Farlan.  
  
Levi turned to Farlan and raised an eyebrow, as in asking ‘what?’  
  
Farlan just shrugged, but Levi could see that he had turned a bit red to.  
  
Levi decided to leave it, his friends would tell him when they wanted to and he didn’t want to rush them.  
  
They separated when they got to Levi’s house. Levi going inside and Isabel and Farlan continued together to Isabel’s house where they would split.  
  
When Levi laid in his bed he heard Mikasa coming home and he started to think about his day. He thought of what he had happened to see. He thought about what Armin told him, and the advice he had got. Maybe this was an opportunity for Levi to let go of his feelings for Eren and try to move forward. He would at least try, he decided. But deep down he knew that he wouldn’t be able to fully let go if he didn’t tell Eren how he felt. And that was something he was terrified of doing. He laid awake until the middle of night, thinking of what could happen, both bad and good situations, before he fell asleep.  
  
The rest of the weekend went by slowly and when Monday came he was fully rested. He got up at the same time as his sister, his mother had already gone to work, and went to fetch the mail. He looked through it briefly. Until a specific letter caught his eye. It was addressed to him and it had the symbol of Pixis Academy.  
  
Levi couldn’t breathe. He stood still. He didn’t want to open it and read the rejection. Why had it to be so hard?  
  
“Mikasa!” he yelled. “Mikasa!”  
  
He ran into the house and met with a panic-looking Mikasa in the kitchen.  
  
“What? Has something happened?”  
  
Levi couldn’t say something, he just gave her the envelope.  
  
“Wha… Levi, is this?”  
  
Levi nodded, “Please open it, I can’t do it”  
  
“Are you sure?” Mikasa asked him.  
  
Levi nodded once more and started to move back and forth in their kitchen.  
  
Mikasa opened the envelope slowly before taking out the paper that was inside. She read it slowly and her eyes widened.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a bit late, sorry about that!  
> It's also a bit shorter than the other chapters, but I felt that it was a good point to end it at :)
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments!

“Mikasa?” Levi asked nervously. “What does it say?”  
  
Mikasa looked up from the letter, her eyes still wide.  
  
“You made it” she said, as she herself did not really believe it.  
  
Levi could feel his heart start beating faster, it couldn’t be true.  
  
“Wha… that can’t be true, you are just kidding with me right?” he said.  
  
“No! You really made it! You are accepted! You really are going to Pixis Academy!” she said as she smiled big. “We have to tell mom! And everybody else! Oh my god! Congratulations Levi!”  
  
She took the few steps to him and swept him into a hug. Levi still felt as it was some kind of joke. He couldn’t have been accepted to the most prestigious school for writing, could he?  
  
“I always knew that you could do it.” Mikasa said to him. “I’m so proud of you!”  
  
“I still don’t believe it” he said.  
  
“Then read the letter for yourself and see!” she said as she put the letter in his hand.  
  
Levi slowly opened the letter and read through it. As he did so, he felt his own eyes widen. Not only had he been accepted into the school, the school had also offered to pay the tuition fee, which meant that his mother didn’t have to worry about working so much in order for him to be able to fulfill his dreams. Levi felt like his legs couldn’t carry him anymore and dropped to the floor.  
  
“Levi, are you alright?” Mikasa asked with a worrying tone in her voice.  
  
“I don’t know” he said. “This is just a bit too much, they are going to pay for my tuition, Mikasa, and that’s, that’s…”  
  
“I know, it’s a relief, isn’t it?” she said as she crouched down beside him.  
  
He nodded. They sat together for a while, talking about what he should bring and that he had to look for a place to live. Levi still hadn’t really grasped that he got accepted but it was slowly sinking in, and the more he accepted it, the more excited he got.  
  
After some time Mikasa had to go, since she had decided to meet up with some old classmates together with Armin and Eren.  
  
Levi then decided that he should tell Isabel and Farlan, so he sent a SMS to tell them to meet at their spot in the woods in about an hour. In that hour he ate and dressed. He also wrote a SMS to his mother that said that he was going out to meet his friends, just in case he wasn’t at home when she got home.  
  
When he got to the spot, Farlan and Isabel was already there, looking a bit embarrassed. Levi decided that he would ask them what was going on between them, it was not common for them to behave that way. But honestly, Levi had some idea what it was about, and he was really happy for them if that was the case.  
  
“Hello” he said as he sat down between them, since there was enough space for him there.  
  
He got a greeting from both of them, but they did not look at each other.  
  
“So, what was it that you wanted to tell us?” Farlan said, looking only at Levi.  
  
“I was just getting to that” Levi said “but I have one question to the both of you first.”  
  
“What is it?” Isabel asked, and even she only looked at Levi, not on Farlan.  
  
“What is going on between the two of you? You were weird around each other when we went home from the festival and now you won’t even look at each other.” Levi said, looking at both Farlan and Isabel.  
  
The both of them was quiet, but Levi observed that Isabel got very red in her face and that Farlan started to fiddle with the hem of his shorts.  
  
“Are you going to tell me? Or do I have to force it out of the both of you?” he said, with a small smile.  
  
“Well…” Isabel started, “during the festival, or more frankly the fireworks, you had disappeared and we didn’t know where you went. So we started to look for you and we got to a place with very few people, and, well, it was a really beautiful place. You could see the stars in the sky and it smelled amazing and it was great. I really wish that you had been there with us so that you also could see it, but you weren’t and…”  
  
Levi held up a hand to stop her from talking. “You are rambling, just tell me what happened, even though I have a hunch.”  
  
Farlan and Isabel looked at him with wide eyes and then turned their faces to each other.  
  
“Tell me!” Levi said with a smile.  
  
“I kissed her during the fireworks” Farlan said after some silence.  
  
“I knew it!” Levi said, “so are you dating now?”  
  
“You knew?” Isabel said, “how?”  
  
“I have seen how the two of you look at each other when you think no one else see. And your ‘discrete’ touches are not as discrete as you may think. I seriously thought that you should get together several months ago. But you never answered my question.”  
  
“Oh my god” Isabel said as she hid her red face in her hands.  
  
“Yes, we are.” Farlan said, looking a bit embarrassed himself.  
  
“Good” was Levi’s response.  
  
After some time, Isabel had calmed enough to show her face again.  
  
“Thank you” she said.  
  
Levi looked at her, confused. “Why?”  
  
“For accepting us dating, and for not being weird about it.”  
  
“Well, I think that the two of you really suit each other, so I’m just happy for you. And, well, I also know that you won’t leave me.”  
  
“But, what did you want to tell us?” Farlan said, swiftly changing the subject.  
  
“Oh, yeah, I uh… I got accepted to Pixis Academy” Levi said and looked down, hiding his smile.  
  
After his news had sunk in, he was attacked by his two best friends.  
  
“OH MY GOD!” Isabel screamed, “CONGRATULATIONS!”  
  
“Congratulations!” Farlan said and smiled wide. “You deserve it!”  
  
“Thank you” Levi said and hugged them back.  
  
They sat at their spot for some time more until they went home.  
  
When Levi gets home he is surprised by the hug he gets from his mother.  
  
“I knew that you would make it” she said as she kissed the top of his head. “I’m so proud of you.”  
  
Levi remembered that he had left the letter in the kitchen table and that his mother probably had read it.  
  
“Thank you” he said as he hugged her back.  
  
The next day started with Levi sitting in front of his computer, trying to find a dorm that he could live in that wasn’t too expensive. He found a few and registered his interest.  
  
He was alone for the day, since his mother had gone to work and Mikasa was together with Armin at the lake. Isabel and her family had gone for a vacation outside the country and Farlan had to stay home and help his mother. His thoughts wandered to what Armin had told him at the fireworks festival, that if nothing happens, then it was because it wasn’t meant to be or that no one tried. That sentence had really struck Levi, and he thought about it a lot. Armin was right that nothing would happen if he didn’t do anything. But then he also had to ask himself if he did something to happen. And that was a tough question to answer. If he didn’t do anything he could go on and still have a crush on Eren, but if he decided to tell Eren his feelings he would get an answer and therefore move on. If he got rejected then he could accept that and move on with his life, hopefully falling in love with another person. And if Eren, against all odds, would accept his feelings, then he would want to try to test a relationship with him.  
  
But getting an answer from Eren scared him. He was comfortable with his crush and was not sure if he wanted to let that go. But then the image of Eren together with another girl showed up in Levi’s mind, and he started to think about _who_ Eren really is. Levi had a crush on a man that existed in his mind. That man wasn’t necessarily the same man as Eren really was. And it was that thought that made the decision for Levi. He was going to tell Eren his feelings in order to be able to let _his_ image of his Eren go, and be able to get to know the person that Eren _really_ was.


	5. Announcement!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry!

I have realized that I am not happy with the chapters that I have written, but I still love my idea very much! 

So I have decided that I am going to rewrite this story so that I am happy with it. I don't know how long that will take but hopefully not so long.

Thank you for reading, commenting and giving kudos to this story! It means a lot since I am very insecure about my writing :)

I hope that you will come back when I have rewritten it! 

Thank you!


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